The Perils of Rosella Drabbles
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: A collection of drabbles about the characters, places, and things in King Quest IV. Spoilers again if you haven't played the game. Sequel to my last *King's Quest* drabble fanfics.
1. Princess Rosella

**Disclaimer:** I do not own King Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella; Ken and Roberta Williams and Sierra Inc. do.

_**Princess Rosella**_

* * *

Princess Rosella of Daventry was the darling of Graham and Valanice. She learned everything there was to learn for a princess: history, geography, folklore, common sense, rules of thumb, swimming, riding, running, shooting, and fighting. She read stories of honor, courage, valor, humor, and humility, tales of love, death, and hard choices. She even learned to climb trees, clean house, sing, play the flute, lute and keyboard, speak politely, listen quietly, and survive alone in wilderness.

And on that day when she bravely offered herself as a sacrifice to the three-headed-dragon, her greatest and deadliest adventure would begin!


	2. The Joy and the Tragedy

_**The Joy and the Tragedy**_

* * *

Prince Alexander had unexpectedly returned home from his exile and saved his twin sister by slaying the dragon. After a happy reunion, Rosella led him to the castle and to their parents, the king and queen. Their joy at being reunited, not to mention the kingdom being saved, was immense, to say the least.

King Graham tossed his adventurer's cap to his children, offering them their future, but suddenly, a terrible heart attack hit him, and he collapsed to the floor! The medics could do nothing to help him. He was slowly dying.

Weeping, heartbroken Rosella fled from the bedchamber!


	3. A Good Fairy's Offer to Help

_**A Good Fairy's Offer to Help**_

* * *

Sitting on the throne, Rosella wished there was something she could do. Then, a fairy named Genesta appeared in Merlin's Mirror. She said that there _was_ something Rosella could do to save her father!

In a swamp, in the Land of Tamir, Genesta's home, on the other side of a mountain range, there was a rare magic fruit that could restore life and strength to any ill person. However, she also said that Rosella had to come to Tamir herself in order to get it, and she would explain why when Rosella got there.

Rosella said yes, and she vanished.


	4. Tamir

_**Tamir**_

* * *

Tamir is a country governed by Genesta, queen of the fairies, and it is a very beautiful place. It has lovely seashores, though the seas are a little more temperamental than those of Kolyma, and fishermen make a living by their waters. Dwarfs mine for diamonds they provide for Tamir's economy. Fantastical creatures ranging from satyrs to unicorns to man-like ogres live inland happily. Most significant of all, though, are the gorgeous Roman pool where Cupid frolics, and Whateley Manor, where a large society once lived, but now rests in two graveyards and haunt the house as restless ghosts.


	5. The Dual Quests

_**The Dual Quests**_

* * *

On the shores of Tamir, Rosella reappeared. Genesta floated down from the sky with two tiny attendant fairies. On the ground, she greeted Rosella kindly, and said that her power was weakening, due to the theft of her magic talisman by the evil fairy Lolotte.

Without the talisman, Genesta couldn't return Rosella to Daventry, and she would soon die, just like King Graham, plus Lolotte would use the talisman for evil purposes. So Rosella had two things to recover: the magic fruit for her father, and the talisman for Genesta.

Wishing Rosella well, Genesta flew back home over the ocean.


	6. Beginning a Quest

_**Beginning a Quest**_

* * *

As she set off on her quest, Rosella first encountered a beautiful, white unicorn in a fragrant meadow. She loved looking at it, but it bolted in fear when she got too close. Rosella had always wanted to meet and ride a unicorn, so she was sad when it fled.

Next, she came to a stone bridge spanning a stream of water. It was charming to look at, too. More importantly, though, Rosella saw a sparkle under the bridge, which turned out to be a little gold ball. She decided to take it with her, for she might use it.


	7. House of the Seven Dwarfs

_**House of the Seven Dwarfs**_

* * *

The river led to a small, two-story house built into a tree. No one was home when she knocked. Inside, Rosella found the ugliest mess she had ever seen. There were bowls strewn all over the dining table and in the sink, encrusted with remains of food in them.

Upstairs, there were seven little beds in one bedroom, and all the beds were dirty and unmade. There were also lots of filthy clothes, grungy boots, and stiff socks strewn everywhere. It was too much for Rosella to bear. She quickly fled outside of the house of the seven dwarfs.


	8. Let's Clean House

_**Let's Clean House**_

* * *

Suddenly, our Princess made a decision: she would take some time to clean the owners' house for them. It was a selfless thing to do, and maybe she could meet somebody who could help her on her quest. She washed the dishes and stacked them up on the counter. She scrubbed and put away all the clothes. She made all the beds and tidied them up.

Finally, as she finished, the dwarfs suddenly came into the house, tired from their labors. They were more than pleased to see their house cleaned by Rosella, and invited her to dinner with them.


	9. A Favor for a Favor

_**A Favor for a Favor**_

* * *

The seven dwarfs had no advice for Rosella, but they wished her well on her dual quests, and after the meal, "Heigh ho!" the dwarfs returned to work at their diamond mine. After cleaning up once more, she saw that one of them left behind a bag of diamonds. Out of conscience, she did the honest thing and returned it to him, as soon as she found their mine.

The dwarfs didn't want it, but moved by her honesty, they gave her a lantern for her trouble. Now she thanked them, and left.

Always do a favor for a favor!


	10. Whateley Manor

_**Whateley Manor**_

* * *

Off to the north was the old mansion, the Whateley Manor. Once the home of a prestigious clan of families, it was long since abandoned, with all its inhabitants buried in its two graveyards. The Manor had an air of foreboding about it, and even brave Rosella shivered a little when she approached it.

No smoke came out of its chimney, confirming its abandonment to the Princess. Nonetheless, she was curious as to what it looked like inside, and it might have had some more things to help her on her quest.

After a moment's nervous hesitation, she stepped inside.


	11. Inside Whateley Manor

_**Inside Whateley Manor**_

* * *

There were cobwebs all over the Manor's entryway. A grandfather clock ticked away, reminding Rosella that her father and Genesta's time was running out. The place had a dust-encrusted dining room and a cold kitchen, too. Upstairs, there were several lonely bedrooms with torn bed-sheets and curtains. There was even a lonely nursery that had a few old baby items scattered about, but nothing of worth.

She did, however, find a few things of interest in the parlor area, and behind a secret door she discovered by examining the path of a painting's eyes.

This is what she found.


	12. Music in the Tower

_**Music in the Tower**_

* * *

Behind the secret door, Rosella found a long, winding staircase leading up to the top of the tower. It was a hard, endless climb, but at the top, she found an old pipe organ.

Rosella was very good with a keyboard, and had learned how to play many songs while growing up in Daventry. Sheet music was one of her favorites, because of a joke about ghosts liking sheet music! She tried out this organ, and it played beautifully, but revealed no items or clues for her quest.

Oh, well. Back down the grim staircase and on to the parlor!


	13. A Passion for Books

_**A Passion for Books**_

* * *

Rosella loved books more than anything else. Sometimes she would rather read than eat or sleep. Graham and Valanice had always encouraged this good habit in her. She especially loved William Shakespeare's works and the Chronicles of Narnia, her favorites.

Books and their characters helped her escape from the mundane and immerse herself in another world, particularly fantasy and adventure stories, and it was her belief that fiction was better than nonfiction, and that fictional characters were like a second family to her.

Rosella had a whole private library of storybooks and history books back home, and they were her most cherished possessions!


	14. William Shakespeare's Works

_**William Shakespeare's Works**_

* * *

The parlor that reminded Rosella of her love for books was as cold and dusty as the rest of the rooms, but there was a book about the works of the Bard himself on the mostly empty bookshelves. She took it with enthusiasm.

Some in Daventry knew of Shakespeare's writings. Rosella enjoyed memorizing many of the better passages and reciting them with dramatic flair. She always played the heroine.

If she ever made it home, she thought this book, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, would make a good bedside companion, as well as material to recite in plays, perhaps.


	15. The Graveyards

_**The Graveyards**_

* * *

Outside again, the Princess examined the tombstones in the twin graveyards. She wondered how all the dead inhabitants had buried each other if the last of them had died with no one to dig a grave.

Every grave had an epitaph engraved on it, and some of them had the saddest things written on the tombstones. Rosella spotted a grave for a woman who lost her lover at sea, one for a young boy, and even one for a baby that had died in its sleep.

This was too much for Rosella to stand, and she fled from Whateley Manor.


	16. A Cute Little Frog

_**A Cute Little Frog**_

* * *

Rosella found solace by a little pond a ways from the mansion. It was a merry place. A little frog that wore a little crown on its head was sitting on a floating flower. A frog wearing a crown? This was unusual.

Suddenly, Rosella accidentally dropped her little gold ball, and it fell in the pond. The frog dived into the water after it. When it resurfaced, the ball was in its mouth. Surprised, Rosella took the ball gratefully, and gave the frog a little kiss. To her astonishment, it turned into a handsome young prince!

Oh, this was good!


	17. A Disgusting Little Prince

_**A Disgusting Little Prince**_

* * *

Or maybe it wasn't so good. The prince _was_ handsome, but he didn't have any inner beauty. "You're just a peasant, you peasant!" he mocked her, staring disgustedly at her, for Genesta had put her in peasant's clothes as a disguise against Lolotte.

He tossed his crown to her, saying she might look better as a frog, and sauntered off with his nose in the air, without even a polite "thank you." Rosella fumed, but she learned that day that looks don't always mean something.

Taking the crown and picking up the gold ball, she headed west towards the ocean.


	18. A Very Bad Minstrel

_**A Very Bad Minstrel**_

* * *

In another wildflower meadow, Rosella happened upon a wandering minstrel. The music he played on his lute was very off-key, though, and his voice often missed the melody. Needless to say, Rosella's ears were offended. When he wouldn't stop to talk to her, she gave him the Shakespeare book to distract him.

He read the book with fervor, and he recited one of the plays as badly as he had played music. He found an inspiration to become an actor, and thanked her for the gift, giving her his lute in return, and walking away. Rosella shook her head.


	19. Surly Fishermen

_**Surly Fishermen**_

* * *

At the coast, she found a fisherman's shack, and a woman was inside preparing food when she called for Rosella to come on in. Seeing that Rosella was apparently a useless visitor, the woman told her to "git!" Rosella got.

On the pier, an old man who must have been the woman's husband was fishing, and having no luck catching any. He got up and, ignoring Rosella, he walked back to the house, closing the door in Rosella's face. "People sure don't seem to like strangers around here, do they?" she asked herself. She decided to leave them alone for now.


	20. A Talented Musician

_**A Talented Musician**_

* * *

Near the shack, she happened upon a half-man, half-goat satyr, playing a flute, and with much more skill and talent than the minstrel-turned-actor. Moved by his music, Rosella played along on her lute with practiced skill, and the satyr soon stopped playing to watch her play with fascination. He never took his eyes off the instrument.

As she finished playing, the satyr walked up to her, and she offered him the lute. He accepted it, and offered her the flute in return. The Princess was too polite to refuse it. The satyr danced away with his new instrument.


	21. An Amphibious Swim

_**An Amphibious Swim**_

* * *

Following a river east, Rosella found herself by a giant waterfall and pool that were connected to the mountains. Perhaps this was where she would find the way to the magic fruit! Try as she might, though, she couldn't swim under the falls, for they were too powerful for her.

But then, she remembered the magic crown that the idiot said would turn her into a frog. Putting it on, she indeed did turn into a frog, and she was able to swim under the water and into a cave on the other side, where she turned back into herself.


	22. The Troll Cave

_**The Troll Cave**_

* * *

Picking up a loose wooden board outside the cave's entrance, Rosella went inside, lighting her oil lantern just beforehand. It was frightening, to say the least, because a hungry troll lived in there, and she could hear it growling the whole time. Of course, it didn't get her, or this writing would have no farther to go.

Going east, south, and then east again, according to the direction of the tunnels, using the board once to cross a deep crack in the floor (and taking the board back so the troll couldn't follow her), she finally emerged by a swamp.


	23. The Swamp and the Snake

_**The Swamp and the Snake**_

* * *

She could see a small island with a small tree on it some distance from her. On the tree was one fruit, the magic fruit that could save her father. The swamp, however, was evidently strong enough to suck her in and kill her, but she was able to hop on several patches of dry land until she was almost at the island.

She needed the board again to reach it, but a venomous snake was on the island, guarding it. Playing the flute to entrance the reptile, she then crossed and grabbed the fruit, quickly fleeing from the snake.


	24. The Return Journey

_**The Return Journey**_

* * *

Needless to say, Rosella escaped the swamp with her life and the fruit in her hands. Taking the board back again, she hopped across the patches to dry land again, and ventured through the cave, once again wary of the troll.

After escaping the cave again, she found an old, gnawed bone of some kind, probably left over from one of the troll's meals, thinking it might come in handy as a weapon. Then she entered the water and let its current carry her outside again.

With one quest more or less achieved, Rosella started to search for Lolotte's castle.


	25. Introduction to Lolotte

_**Introduction to Lolotte**_

* * *

South of the waterfall, a lone path led up into the Impossible Mountains. Rosella guessed correctly that this was the way to Lolotte's residence. She didn't get very far up the path, however, when two flying monkeys (or something like that) flew down and captured her, taking her to the castle!

Lolotte, a frightening, black-clad, green-skinned witch, thought she was a spy sent by Genesta. Rosella pleaded that she was just a lost peasant girl. Lolotte didn't believe her and sent her to a prison cell filled with instruments of torture. The whole place smelled of ultimate despair.


	26. The First Task

_**The First Task**_

* * *

Suddenly, the monkey guards came back for Rosella, and returned her to Lolotte's throne room. Lolotte introduced Rosella to Edgar, her deformed son, who took a liking to her, and wanted her to prove her innocence. Lolotte had consented, and had a task for Rosella to prove she was telling the truth.

Lolotte desired the unicorn that lived in Tamir. She claimed that if Rosella tamed it and brought it to her, she would win her freedom and a reward. "You can never escape me. Now, go!"

And with that, the monkey henchmen dropped Rosella at the foot of the mountain.


	27. Worms and Fish

_**Worms and Fish**_

* * *

Knowing she had to do something to appease Lolotte, Rosella walked west to look for something to tame the unicorn with, even though she didn't want to.

On her way west, she found a worm wiggling in the dirt that a bird had been trying to pull up. Maybe the worm would help the fisherman, she thought. Maybe he was out of bait.

She took the squirming worm and put it in a pocket. Then, she continued on her way until she reached the sea and the shanty again. Along the way, she spotted the poor unicorn, but it ran away again.


	28. Diamonds Are Forever

_**Diamonds Are Forever**_

* * *

At the shanty, the fisherman and his wife rejected the worm, saying that one worm wouldn't help them. Rosella looked around their shabby cabin, at the scant number of food and possessions, and the old, uncomfortable bed. She suddenly realized that they needed money more than anything else, so she gave them the pouch of diamonds the dwarfs had asked her to keep.

The fisherman and his wife gushed with joy to see their salvation before them. Saying they wouldn't need it anymore, they gave her their fishing pole. After leaving the cabin, Rosella decided to fish herself for a little, while thinking things over.


	29. Worms and Fish 2

_**Worms and Fish 2**_

* * *

Rosella's new fishing pole and worm only caught one fish, though that would be enough for supper if necessary. While she fished, she saw a big island a ways from the shore, with a beautiful castle on it. Guessing correctly that it was Genesta's castle and island, Rosella decided to swim over to it and ask the fairy queen for advice on her quest.

Fortunately, Princess Rosella was a very good swimmer, because as she swam toward the island, she had to outmaneuver a few sharks and a large whale.

Finally, the princess reached the shore of the island safely.


	30. A Lovely Fortress

_**A Lovely Fortress**_

* * *

The castle was beautiful, to say the least. It was made of ivory, and marvelous gardens surrounded it. Birds sang in the trees, and a peacock strutted around the shore. A marble statue of dolphins playing in the waves graced one of the garden's corners, and a small pond, home to a pure white swan, adorned another.

The peacock dropped a tail feather for some unknown reason. Rosella took it, thinking anything could come in handy on her quest. She also noticed that the beach was golden in color.

She walked toward the entrance and entered, meeting no resistance from Genesta's fairy guards.


	31. A Dying Fairy

_**A Dying Fairy**_

* * *

Inside the castle, the princess found two locked doors and a staircase that led up to a single solitary chamber. Needless to say, she climbed the steps and entered the chamber.

Genesta was in a deep sleep, perhaps a trance, and could not be woken up. Two little fairies attended her, and a white snow leopard guarded her. Reluctantly, Rosella decided that she would just have to survive on her wits for the rest of her quest.

Unfortunately, she was tired from her last swim, and this time, the giant whale got to her. She felt herself being swallowed by it.


	32. A Whale of a Time

_**A Whale of a Time**_

* * *

The whale's mouth was full of noxious fumes and digestive juices. Rosella, of course, did not like it for one moment. She had to escape before she was digested!

She was able to climb the left hand side of the whale's tongue until she reached something that looked like a tonsil hanging from the roof of its mouth. Intending to make the whale gag her up, she tickled the "tonsil" with the peacock feather. It worked, but in a different way than she expected. The whale sneezed her out!

Back out in the ocean, she swam to a nearby shipwreck island.


	33. Shipwrecks and Pelicans

_**Shipwrecks and Pelicans**_

* * *

Rosella couldn't find anything to cheer about on the island. There were only shipwrecks and a mocking pelican there. She didn't despair; that wasn't her way. She just tossed the fish she had caught to the pelican in frustration. The seabird ate it, but something shiny fell from its mouth when it did, and the pelican flew away.

Rosella discovered that it was a silver whistle. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she looked around and also found a golden bridle. Strange!

Finally, she tried blowing the whistle. With a miracle! A dolphin came to her rescue! It took her back to the shore of Tamir.


	34. A God of Love and his Darts

_**A God of Love and his Darts**_

* * *

Upon reaching the shore, Rosella realized that she had a way to harness the unicorn, but still didn't have a way to tame it. Seeing white marble columns to the east of where she landed, she decided to look there.

The columns surrounded an inviting marble pool. The pool was quite beautiful and exotic, like something from another world. And as Rosella approached it, wishing she had time to swim in it herself, a chubby little being flew down from above and took a swim itself.

This was Cupid, the god of love, and the arrows he had laid aside were love darts.


	35. Taming the Unicorn

_**Taming the Unicorn**_

* * *

Rosella had intended to talk to Cupid, but she unwittingly spooked him instead, and he flew away, leaving behind his arrows. Drat!

However, she noticed that the love darts he left behind were the perfect thing to tame the unicorn, and she borrowed them.

Shortly afterward, she found the unicorn in the meadow a little closer to Lolotte's mountain. Feeling sorry for the poor thing, she shot the first arrow at it (there were two arrows). It stopped retreating, and nuzzled up to Rosella lovingly. Apologizing to it, she climbed on its back and rode it all the way to Lolotte's castle.


	36. The Second Task

_**The Second Task**_

* * *

Some winged monkeys restrained the unicorn while others flew Rosella up to Lolotte's throne room. Unfortunately, the evil fairy didn't look very convinced that Rosella had done a good enough job.

Lolotte announced that she wasn't yet fully convinced of Rosella's loyalty, despite the disguised "peasant" doing exactly as she was told. She demanded a second task of her: to retrieve a hen that laid golden eggs. She said that an ogre and his wife held the hen at present. Then, the goons returned her back to the bottom of the mountain again, leaving Rosella feeling upset at missing the talisman _again!_


	37. The Ogre's House

_**The Ogre's House**_

* * *

Just southwest of where the monkeys dropped her off, Rosella found what she was looking for. Indeed, for it was a huge house with huge features. That, and the fact that an Ogress, a female ogre, was striding noisily home, dragging a dead deer that was presumably supper.

She waited a few moments for the Ogress to go inside and get to work cooking, and then she snuck up to the door and slowly opened it. A big, bad watchdog was inside the living room. The princess quickly tossed the troll's bone at the dog to distract it, and the dog accepted it, going to a corner to eat it.


	38. A LARGE Dinner

_**A LARGE Dinner**_

* * *

Rosella stealthily searched the house. She went upstairs first, finding a run-down, poorly furnished bedroom. Nothing was in the closet, but an ax lay by one wall. She took it as a weapon.

Back downstairs, the dog was still enjoying the bone. There was another dog's head hanging on the wall, a prize kill, probably. Another closet beckoned to her. She went inside, closing the door, and searched, finding nothing. Suddenly, she heard the Ogre return home. She was trapped!

The Ogress brought supper out of the kitchen, and the two ate contentedly. After dinner, the Ogre roared for his hen.


	39. The Noisy Gold Egg Hen

_**The Noisy Gold Egg Hen**_

* * *

The Ogress brought the hen and returned to the kitchen. The Ogre made it lay a golden egg, and then fell asleep in his chair at the table.

Rosella knew that this was her only chance to escape with the hen. She slipped out of the closet and snitched the bird, rushing quietly to the door. Just as she opened it, though, the hen squawked. The Ogre woke up and gave chase. Rosella rushed out the door with the angry Ogre in hot pursuit. Eventually, she lost him in a forest just east, but in that forest was even more danger.


	40. The Scary Forest

_**The Scary Forest**_

* * *

There was something spooky about the forest. The trees seemed almost to have a consciousness of their own, and that consciousness felt evil. Indeed, the nearest trees started to grab for her, but in alarm, she swung the ax at them, and the trees stopped reaching for her and showed respect.

The Ogre wasn't pursuing her anymore. She walked a little deeper into the forest and found a strange skull cave in the stone mountains. She decided to investigate it later if she needed to, and, carefully but firmly carrying the hen, she returned to Lolotte and her goons once again.


	41. The Third Task

_**The Third Task**_

* * *

Lolotte surely was evil made flesh. Her goons took the hen from Rosella, but the witch informed Rosella that she still didn't believe her. She had one final task for the girl, and if she fulfilled it, Lolotte would fulfill her promise to her.

"Bring me Pandora's Box; it contains the purest evil in the world. With it I could-dare I say it? Yes, I dare!-rule the world! Bring it to me and you will get your reward. You can never escape me. Now go!"

And one more time, the winged monekys dropped the unhappy Princess Rosella at the foot of the mountain.


	42. Pandora's Box!

_**Pandora's Box!**_

* * *

Poor wretched Rosella! To find the box for Lolotte might doom the world to enslavement by the witch. To not find it would certainly doom Genesta, her father, and herself, and still give no guarantee that Lolotte would be vanquished. The choice was between sure death and barest hope.

Again, Rosella chose hope instead of despair, however slim, resolving to get Pandora's Box and try to overcome Lolotte. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake.

It was almost nighttime by now. Rosella thought about her choices, deciding to check out the skull cave again, thinking that the box (or news of it) could be there.


	43. Three Witches and One Eye

_**Three Witches and One Eye**_

* * *

Upon entering the cave, she found three hag sisters surrounding magical items and a cauldron. She could tell that they were of the left hand path, following the ways of evil. They also "invited her for dinner," meaning that they wanted to eat _her_ for dinner.

They also had only one glass eye, which they passed between each other so each of them could see what was happening. One suddenly started to shuffle toward Rosella, while the other two shared the eye, directing the first hag towards her.

Rosella had to get the eye to bring them to her mercy.


	44. Obsidian Scarab Among the Undead

_**Obsidian Scarab Among the Undead**_

* * *

Rosella managed to get past the hag that was pursuing her, and at just the right moment, she snatched the eye from the other two sisters as they were passing it from one another. The sisters were blind. Rosella demanded Pandora's Box. They said they didn't have it, and begged to have their eye back.

Before Rosella could leave, however, they threw something on the floor near her: an obsidian scarab beetle. They said it would protect her from the undead, where she could find Pandora's Box. Satisfied, she tossed the eye back to them and ran away from the cave.


	45. Where Do I Go Next?

_**Where Do I Go Next?**_

* * *

Night fell on the land of Tamir. Rosella knew that time was running short for her father and Genesta. She thought quickly about where she could possibly find undead things in Tamir. Then she remembered Whateley Manor, where there were two graveyards, and she had also noticed a crypt in the eastern graveyard.

"Maybe the graves at the Manor contain undead people and spirits," she said to herself, "And the Box is probably in either the house, one of the graves, or the crypt."

Correctly deducing this as her best option, Rosella set out for Whateley Manor to do some digging among the ominous creatures of the dead.


End file.
